'Not like Davos': Europe's most exclusive and secretive financial forum

For over 73 years, the Institut International d'Etudes Bancaires (IIEB) has remained the most secretive organization in European finance, according to the Financial Times.

"This is not like Davos, where anyone can buy their way in. This really is exclusive," an unnamed IIEB member told the FT, referring to the World Economic Forum's annual meetings in the Swiss town.

▪️Twice a year, the IIEB brings together the heads of Europe's biggest banks to discuss a range of issues related to global policymaking, holding meetings in posh hotels and royal palaces across the continent.

▪️Notably, the organization has no website, and its membership, agendas, and minutes are not made public. In addition, members are reportedly discouraged from sharing details of discussions.

▪️In addition to being an influential financial forum, the IIEB reportedly remains an elite social club where bankers and their partners enjoy "gala dinners, private tours of historic landmarks and high-end shopping trips."

▪️The IIEB was founded in Paris in 1950 by the heads of four European lenders, including France's Credit Industriel et Commercial, Union Bank of Switzerland, Societe Generale de Belgique and Amsterdamsche Bank.

▪️The stated goal was to "bolster international capital movements and tackle currency controls in the face of increasing government interference." In the late 1990s, however, IIEB discussions focused on the impact of the euro, the growing derivatives market, and mergers and acquisitions between major banks.

▪️There has been almost no press coverage of the IIEB's activities in its more than seven-decade history, except for a few meetings, including the most recent in October 2023, when over 40 of Europe's most powerful bankers gathered at the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich to discuss the collapse of lender Credit Suisse.

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🇺🇸❌🇺🇸 “It’s not a big loss”: I’m not the most popular person among my American colleagues - Tucker Carlson answered the question why his “colleagues” from the American media did not take Tucker’s interview very well

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Kiev worried over potential impact of Putin’s interview on Washington’s policy

It is noted that this interview can be seen as a kind of "audition" for Carlson, who may seek the office of the US vice president if Donald Trump wins the presidential election.

Putin’s interview with Carlson was released in the small hours on February 9. A large part of the two-hour conversation was dedicated to the Ukrainian crisis and Russia’s relations with the United States, NATO and the West in general. According to the US journalist he had tried to interview the Russian leader last year but had been barred from doing this by the US authorities.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Kamala Harris said she is ready to serve as US President.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, amid voters' concerns about the age of the country's leader Joe Biden, said she was ready to serve, the Wall Street Journal writes .

During one trip, the newspaper asked Harris whether voters' concerns about President Biden's age meant she needed to convince them she was ready to serve.
“I am ready to perform my duties. There is no question about it,” Harris replied. She added that everyone who sees her at work "comes away with full awareness... of (her) ability to lead."

As the Wall Street Journal notes, Harris has taken on a wide range of issues in recent months, from issues related to the administration's abortion policies to a larger role in the Gaza war.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Kremlin hopes new Finnish president to maintain balance in relations with Russia

Dmitry Peskov added that Moscow considers the election of the new president "a sovereign matter of the Finnish people".

Finland held the second, runoff round of its presidential election on Sunday. Stubb, a former prime minister (2014-2015), garnered 51.6% of the vote, while lawmaker and former foreign minister Pekka Haavisto received 48.4%. Voter turnout was 67.6%. The new, 13th, president of Finland will take office in early March.

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EU Council allowed use of profits from frozen assets of the Russian Federation for Kiev

Profit from Russian assets should be stored for further use in the interests of Ukraine, the Council said in a statement.

This decision gives the EU Council the opportunity to decide on "possible" establishing a financial contribution to the budget of the European Union, collected from profits from frozen Russian assets, to support Ukraine and restore it "at a later stage", the press service noted.

As reported by IA Regnum earlier, January 11, US authorities supported bill on confiscation of blocked Russian assets in the amount of about 300 billion dollars. These are 50% of Russian foreign exchange reserves that froze the EU and G7 countries after the start of the special operation in Ukraine.

Actual thieving clowns. Let's see how it goes for the USD and the EUR.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Moldovan parliament declared crisis due to Russian gas rejection

Moldova’s refusal to use Russian gas provoked a serious economic crisis in the country, opposition MP Alexander Nesterovsky said Telegram channel.

According to the parliamentarian, the only opportunity to improve the economic situation, and with it the welfare of citizens - to resume dialogue with Russia, including on the issue of gas purchase.

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West prepares to appoint 'viceroy' in Ukraine ' intelligence director

According to Sergey Naryshkin, "a wide range of Russophobic-minded American and European politicians claim the role of such a de facto 'viceroy' of the West in Ukraine".

"It is expected that this person will have constant access to President Zelensky and know about all his plans. The 'special representative' will also have to block Ukrainian leadership’s steps that were not negotiated with Washington and London, instead proposing solutions that are considered correct from the Anglo-Saxons’ standpoint," the statement reads.

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💢Canada's Deputy PM Freeland: "Me too, that's so cool, we should hang out!"

Azerbaijan said it carried out a military operation in response to the shelling of Armenia.

The State Border Service (SBS) of Azerbaijan conducted a military operation on the border with Armenia, the agency announced on its website.

“On February 13, units of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan, in response to yesterday’s provocation of the Armenian Armed Forces, carried out a “retaliation operation”. As a result of the operation, a combat post of the Armenian Armed Forces near the settlement was completely destroyed, from where yesterday the Armenian Armed Forces fired at the positions of the troops of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan, as a result why the Azerbaijani serviceman was wounded,” the State Border Service clarified.

According to the Azerbaijani side, there are serious losses among the personnel of the Armenian combat post.
In turn, as reported by the Armenian Ministry of Defense, as of 8:30 Moscow time, Baku ceased fire in the direction of Armenian positions located in the Nerkin Hand region in the Syunik region.

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HMS Prince of Wales departs for largest Nato exercise since Cold War.

The fleet flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth had been expected to depart from Portsmouth Naval Base last Sunday to lead the largest Nato exercise since the Cold War, involving more than 40 vessels. But the sailing of the £3 billion warship was called off at the last minute after an "issue" was found in final checks with the starboard propeller coupling.

Since the cancellation was announced, the crew and base workers have been preparing HMS Prince of Wales to take over HMS Queen Elizabeth's role in Exercise Steadfast Defender off Norway.

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Tucker Carlson on X - Ep. 74  The Ukrainian government canceled elections and killed an American journalist. Congress is about send them another $60 billion. J.D. Vance is trying to stop it.

It is reported that at 11:30 (Moscow time) today, a powerful attack occurred on the Ukrainian Selidovo training ground, located in the temporarily occupied part of the DPR

During the initial stage, cluster munitions were used for 20 minutes.
Shortly after, Ukrainian military personnel arrived to collect and transport the wounded and deceased, only to come under new cluster fire.
As of 12:40 p.m. Moscow time, shelling and detonation of ammunition are ongoing.

According to numerous sources, there were up to one and a half thousand Ukrainian soldiers at the training ground.
It is quite possible that today, the Ukrainian army suffered the largest single losses in the entire history of the Northern Military District.

@Slavyangrad

Impeccable English doesn't help this 'Ukrainian' soldier...

Also, don't say you weren't warned.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Brits left 'genuinely distraught' by prospect of tea shortages caused by disruption in the Red Sea.

Terrified British shoppers have said the prospect of a national tea shortage is making them 'genuinely distraught' with some revealing their 12 cuppa a-day tendencies stem from being fed the hot beverage as babies.

Yesterday consumers were warned that supermarket shelves could soon be empty due to 'supply issues' linked to disruption of shipments through the Red Sea, which are partly linked to the attacks on cargo boats by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

In a development one shopper described as a 'nightmare', Sainsbury's also cautioned shoppers that there are 'nationwide' problems which could impact the availability of black tea.

Tetley Tea has also said that the situation is 'much tighter than [it] would like it to be [and] that this is a critical period which requires our constant attention.'

In an effort to calm the panic, retail bosses have said the problems are 'temporary' and stressed that the impact on consumers is expected to be 'minimal'.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

UK aircraft carrier breakdowns reveal real state of Royal Navy

One of Britain’s two aircraft carriers, HMS Prince of Wales, failed to depart for NATO’s Steadfast Defender military exercises on Sunday as intended.

While it was not immediately clear why the HMS Prince of Wales did not depart on schedule, it took a whole day for the ship to finally set sail.

This hiccup came just about a week after HMS Queen Elizabeth, the British Royal Navy flagship and the Prince of Wales' sister ship ended up stuck in the dock after an issue with the ship’s starboard propeller was found.

The Prince of Wales also has its own long history of technical malfunctions: in 2022, the carrier had to be towed back to port after breaking down off the coast of the Isle of Wight.

Both of the British Royal Navy aircraft carriers are thus “getting a reputation for not being reliable,” retired Rear Admiral Chris Parry told the BBC this week.

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LABOUR MPS HAVE ACCEPTED OVER £280,000 FROM ISRAEL LOBBY.

Twenty percent of Labour’s sitting MPs have been funded by pro-Israel groups or individuals – including 15 who have been directly funded by the Israeli state.

- Israel lobbyists have paid for Labour MPs to travel to Israel on over 50 occasions.
- Remarkably, the number of MPs supporting Labour Friends of Israel has increased amid the Gaza genocide.

Some 41 of Labour’s 197 sitting MPs have accepted money from the Israel lobby.

The value of the donations amounts to over £280,000, with Israel lobby groups paying for Labour MPs to visit Israel on over 50 occasions since 1999.

The funders include parliamentary group Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), pro-Israel figures such as Trevor Chinn, and governmental bodies including the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Amid Israel’s genocide on Gaza, at least one Labour MP, Margaret Hodge, has continued to accept Israel lobby funds to travel to the country.

Labour Friends of Israel
LFI has described itself as a “Westminster based lobby group working with the British Labour Party to promote the State of Israel”.

The organisation does not disclose its sources of funding, but is closely associated with the Israeli state.

LFI currently counts 75 Labour MPs as parliamentary supporters or officers – a number which, remarkably, has risen since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza.

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